willpower
Americannoun
noun
-
the ability to control oneself and determine one's actions
-
firmness of will
Etymology
Origin of willpower
First recorded in 1870–75; will 2 ( def. ) + power ( def. )
Explanation
Willpower is the ability to control or restrain yourself. If you bake brownies and can keep yourself from tasting them until after dinner, you can thank your willpower. A less descriptive — but simpler — way to say willpower is simply will. Whichever word you prefer, you can use it to describe someone's deliberate or purposeful control. In the case of willpower, the person is likely to be resisting a temptation or impulse. It takes willpower not to argue with someone whose opinions make you angry, and willpower to eat just one potato chip.
Vocabulary lists containing willpower
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For decades, we’ve been told that weight loss is a matter of willpower: eat less, move more.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
It will be a test of willpower and resources.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
“This statue is a celebration of life. It is a symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the willpower to keep fighting for the future of America.”
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
Only someone who says he was reborn in the inferno of the Palisades fire could possess the clarity and willpower needed to bring salvation to an accursed land, they argue.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
It takes all the willpower I have for me to steer myself toward the chair and sit down in it again, pressing my skull into the headrest.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
